East Germany: The Ulbricht Jugend

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By the flickering light of hundreds of torches held aloft at East Berlin's Socialist Memorial, some 2,000 young East Germans chanted the oath in unison.

"In the light of the holy flame," they cried, "true to the legacy of the best sons and daughters of our people, we pledge to prepare ourselves well through premilitary training and to be courageous, disciplined soldiers of tomorrow, loyal to our socialist fatherland."

The ceremonies, so reminiscent of the dark rites of the Hitler Jugend, marked the end of a busy season for the Society for Sport and Technology (Gesellschaft f$#252;r Sport und Technik). All summer long, G.S.T.'s 600,000 East German boys and girls between 14 and 18 had been learning drill and marksmanship, parachuting and radio operating.

In a way, G.S.T. was Communist Boss Walter Ulbricht's answer to Czecho slovakia, as speakers at last week's rally in East Berlin made plain. The contagious enthusiasm of the young Czechoslovaks for liberalization sent a chill down Ulbricht's spine. His response was direct: to bring his own teen-agers out of the coffee shops in what amounts to a junior branch of the Volksarmee. G.S.T. provided a handy vehicle for just that. Linked with the party since its founding in 1952, it was taken over by the Defense Ministry in 1956. It remained little more than a harmless sports club until Ulbricht jabbed it into action this spring.

Worth the Expense. Recruiting efforts were stepped up, G.S.T.'s curriculum was overhauled, and children at summer camp found themselves playing "civil war games." G.S.T.'s publication advised that East German youth "must not only be smart and sing a lot, but be able to shoot as well." The organization today is primarily a premilitary training unit, commanded by a major general and allotted $7.5 million a year.

For the Volksarmee, G.S.T. seems to be worth the expense: this summer 200 of its graduates went directly into the army as noncoms. More than half of all recent army trainees have learned their basics in G.S.T. courses. Just as important to Ulbricht's hopes of keeping the lid on in East Germany was another lesson taught at G.S.T.: how to take orders. "G.S.T. training," said Defense Minister General Heinz Hoffmann, "must also accustom the young continually to firm discipline and order, and teach them to follow orders of the trainers with respect and without discussion." That, too, had an all too familiar ring.